Chapter 49
There were no signs of a tsunami on the beach near the sea, so it's normal that you got separated from them. But waking up after getting separated to find yourself being carried on Shanks' shoulder like a rice sack is completely unexpected.
"Oh? You're awake, that's good! I was thinking that if you hadn't woken up, I would have had to use some rather harsh methods to wake you up."
Not a very gentle approach?
Once you were back on the ground, you looked around and, after confirming that you were not on a beach but in a primeval forest, you realized that your abdomen, which had been under Shanks' weight, was very sore.
Based on the current impression, Shanks's way of carrying you can hardly be described as gentle. Even so, the proper etiquette should not be neglected.
"Thank you for saving me, Shanks."
"Well, don't be so polite! No matter what, I would never leave a friend in distress."
Shanks readily accepted your thanks, a gesture that relieved you. But that breath caught in your eye when you caught a glimpse of the obviously wet fabric behind Shanks.
"Your clothes..."
"Oh? This is probably seawater you vomited while you were unconscious. Don't worry about it!"
Shanks patted his chest confidently as he spoke, his demeanor a stark contrast to yours, who had just realized you'd been carried around vomiting seawater the whole way. It was like the scorching summer sun, blinding you. Of course, you couldn't open your eyes until you realized you'd been vomiting seawater on Shanks' shoulder the entire time.
Looking back now, you were either making a fool of yourself in front of Shanks, or on your way to making a fool of yourself. Like escaping from Crocodile, and that night comforting Rem, if there were internet, Shanks could create a "collection of your embarrassing moments" online.
Fortunately, there is no internet access here.
The temperature on your face dropped as you comforted yourself, unaware that Shanks interpreted your bowed head as something else entirely.
Are you nervous?
You looked up and met Shanks' inquisitive gaze. The light in his eyes made you, used to being with the easygoing Shanks, instinctively straighten your back. Realizing he had unintentionally made the atmosphere awkward, Shanks chuckled twice: "I understand the unease of waking up to find no one you know. Don't worry, we'll see them soon!"
With just one sentence, the tense atmosphere was restored to its original tone. Although Shanks was the one who set the tone, you genuinely admired and envied his ability to ease the tension. Thinking of this, you gave Shanks a faint smile: "I am indeed a little nervous, but meeting Shanks here means I'm lucky, so there's no need to be nervous anymore."
Shanks, who was still thinking about how to comfort you, was stunned into place by your heartfelt praise.
Having grown accustomed to the witty and hateful curses hurled at him by the crew and navy, Shanks felt a tickle on his back upon hearing this praise, even knowing that was just his personality. Unfortunately, he only had one hand, and the itchiness was in a place his only remaining hand couldn't reach.
So, the scene that could have been somewhat heartwarming just a second ago vanished completely when Shanks struggled to scratch his back. Fortunately, you're the type of person who can change the subject depending on the scene.
Is there anything I can do to help?
The change in topic relieved Shanks of the itching sensation, and the somewhat comical scene returned to its usual routine.
"No need, it doesn't itch anymore! Let's move on without delay, or it will be hard to find a place to rest if we wait any longer."
Shanks' reminder helped you recover from your loss of time, and your stomach, which was waiting to be filled, started to rumble as soon as it realized the time.
"Gurgle—"
A loud sound, almost as loud as a hiccup, caught your attention. Looking towards the source of the sound, you saw Shanks rubbing his nose and grinning sheepishly: "Oh, I forgot, I went to the beach to catch fish for dinner. But no worries! There's plenty of fruit in this forest, and if all else fails, we can find a bird egg to fill our stomachs!"
People tend to talk more and speak faster when they're embarrassed, and Shanks is exhibiting both traits right now. Recalling what Shanks said earlier, and how he carried you, you connect the two events and realize that Shanks had forgotten about the food after saving you.
Should you be happy that you're paying more attention to yourself than to food, or should you feel sorry that you and Shanks are going to go hungry? The answer is neither. You should focus on finding food to fill your stomach.
"That's true. The forest is so big, there's bound to be food. Let's keep looking as we go."
"That's right, that's the kind of aura!"
Shanks readily accepted your suggestion, nodding repeatedly. He then walked up to you, volunteering to be your "scout." Perhaps Shanks really enjoyed this role, because after only a few steps, he found a whole stick in the nearby bushes and began tapping the grass with it as he advanced. The knee-high grass sprang into action from Shanks's casual tapping, and many small creatures emerged from it.
"That way you'll know what animals are lurking in the bushes!"
The small creatures might be unhappy that Shanks was disturbing their habitat, but Shanks' stick sent them scattering in all directions, driven by their strong will to survive. Coupled with Shanks' hearty laughter, you get the feeling that the small creatures are being bullied by Shanks, and Beckman's line, "Having so much fun, I don't even want to go home," comes to life at this moment.
No, Shanks and I are on the same side, I can't think like that.
You decisively erased any thoughts that were detrimental to you from your mind and took on the role of collecting ingredients.
This time, you're bound to have dinner.
Once you've made your decision, your attention isn't distracted by the path you've taken; you pick up anything edible and large enough to fit in your stomach. Shanks is also focused on dinner, picking a giant, aggressive flower from the roadside, quickly trimming off the harmful parts, and using the flower's vines as a strap to carry you, allowing you to put the ingredients you find inside the flower, giving you more space to gather more food.
The collaboration process was pleasant until you realized that you were going down a less and less desirable path, with little grass or trees around. At that point, the issues that should have been addressed from the beginning came to mind.
"Shanks, which way are we going?"
Upon hearing this, Shanks' eyes widened, but then a smile appeared without a trace of gloom.
"Oh, of course you should keep going forward! When you don't know which way to go, you'll always find a way out by just keeping moving forward!"
Shanks' optimistic spirit reminds you of the saying: the earth is round.
In that respect, Shanks was right, but you were a bit tired because you only remembered this halfway through your journey with Shanks.
-
The dim sky and Shanks's strange tune brought a touch of life to the darkened forest. Since Shanks is physically disabled, you'll be in charge of starting the fire. That said, even in the original world, at the very least, we'd use matches. How big of a fire can a modern person, who spends most of their time typing on a keyboard, actually start?
After trying five different stones to start a fire, you felt your hands were about to smoke, but the wood in front of you wasn't even producing a single spark. Shanks, who had completely entrusted the task of starting the fire, was waving his stick around, cheering you on as you tried to ignite it.
"Keep it up! Our dinner depends on you!"
Amid Shanks' cheers, you raise your hand to wipe the fine sweat from your brow, which had been soaked with the exertion of physical labor. With each exhale, you exhale and say, "I will do my best."
As you spoke, you switched to the sixth stone and started striking it, trying to elicit a spark from the "crackling" sound. Perhaps the heavens were moved by your sincerity, for the stone that had been silent until now began to glow faintly, and Shanks, who had been watching you from the sidelines, gave a timely shout.
"We'll have food soon!"
Seeing that your efforts were paying off, you disregarded your image and words, preparing to finish the fire in one go. If you failed to light it this time, you wouldn't have the strength to try a seventh time, and your long-awaited dinner would be ruined. Thinking about dinner, you tapped the pebbles even faster, so focused that you didn't hear what Shanks was saying.
Thanks to your efforts, a tiny spark from a pebble finally ignited the leaves piled on the branches. Before you could even discuss with Shanks about where dinner was going, Shanks, who was standing nearby, paused for a moment, then scooped you up and jumped onto a nearby tree trunk.
Everything happened so suddenly that you didn't even have time to ask Shanks before a giant creature you'd never seen before ran past the tree, followed by Ace shouting "Don't run!"
Ace?
An unexpected character catches your eye, but you quickly lose interest in Ace because the creatures busy escaping extinguish the little flame you lit, along with the ingredients for your much-anticipated dinner.
You seem to hear the sound of your own heart breaking, and the discontent of your stomach protesting from prolonged hunger. Logically, someone as good at managing emotions as you should only need to go down and spend some time finding ingredients and starting a fire, but your tired arms and the scattered wood and ingredients symbolize that all your previous efforts have been in vain.
It's not a specific person or event that overwhelms your emotions, but rather the accumulation of emotions that is ignited by what others might consider a trivial trigger. And not having dinner is that trigger for your emotions.
Conversely, Shanks is thankful that the operation was timely and took you away from the scene, turning around to share his joy with you.
"That was close! I almost stepped on it. Hey, you're not going to cry, are you? Wait a minute! There's still a chance to fix this, so please don't cry!"
Normally, you can hold back your emotions, but when someone around you keeps telling you not to cry, tears flow like a rebellious child – the more you try to stop them, the more determined they become. So, the tears that had been welling up in his eyes finally fell amidst Shanks's panicked voice.
When Ace looked up, he saw you sitting on Shanks' arm, covering your face and sobbing, with Shanks trying to comfort you, his face full of panic.
Ace, unaware of the whole process, felt a surge of joy at seeing you safe and sound, which then turned into a protective instinct. The scene descended into chaos when Ace called out "Red-haired Shanks!"
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